The City Walls Team partners with PhD candidate Manuel Saba to collect data about erosion rates on Cartagena’s historic walls. The team will design a drone to scan the wall at multiple time points and compare differences using 3-D printed models.
Left: Cartagena, with the walled area highlighted in red. Right: Zoomed in area of work, with walls’ locations highlighted in red.
The City Walls team is a diverse group of engaged students with classes and activities lasting late into the evening. But after the long day, when the team finally convened around 9:30, the enthusiasm in the room was tangible. Caoimhe stood by stirring brownie mix while we chowed down on S’mores dip baked by Sarah. The team began by discussing our research, flooring one another with the variety of information presented, from technical functionality, to historical relevance, to modern-day relevant political issues surrounding the wall.
The City Walls team knows how to run a group meeting – with snacks! Team members chow down on S’mores dip and potato chips.
“Sticky notes are a great way to brainstorm,” Caoimhe recommended with her creative expertise. The team dove into a brainstorm session. Sticky notes were flying.
“I can’t brain anymore,” Kiva finally confessed. The team began to sift through the notes, which ranged from how to get the technology to work to how our work relates to the surrounding culture of Cartagena. As the team constructed coherent categories, attitudes transformed from “I don’t see how that is relevant” into “Wow, I’ve never thought of it that way before.” Nick beamed,
“I always thought the way people think should be the way I think. But we’re so different, and my mind has been blown like 6 times.”
As time ticked away, Nick observed, “We only have 12 weeks, so we need to break down challenges into bite-sized pieces and learn how to refer to one another collaboratively.” The team set smart goals and a plan for completing them.
Meet the Team
Team members bonded over their choice of project, which stemmed from the opportunity to experience a real-life application of a project in a cross-cultural setting.
Sarah Paynter, WRTC, looks forward to challenging herself with this new experience.
Caoimhe O’Sullivan Roche, Industrial Design, is excited to have an impact on the sociocultural context of an area. Her love for history and culture shines in this context.
Kiva Gayle, Physics, loves working with drones and can’t wait to see something she worked to make be used in a practical way.
Team uses sticky notes to brainstorm.
Nick Sipes, Physics, is eager to see the potential continuation the team’s impact.
Matthew Truitte, Biology, expressed particular excitement interdisciplinary functioning and the opportunity to experience intercultural work in Colombia.
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